RESOURCE: Will open access increase journal CiteScores? An empirical investigation over multiple disciplines

Yang Li, Chaojiang Wu, Erjia Yan, and Kai Li (all Drexel University) have published an article in PLOS One entitled “Will open access increase journal CiteScores? An empirical investigation over multiple disciplines.”

From the abstract:

This paper empirically studies the effect of Open Access on journal CiteScores. We have found that the general effect is positive but not uniform across different types of journals. In particular, we investigate two types of heterogeneous treatment effect: (1) the differential treatment effect among journals grouped by academic field, publisher, and tier; and (2) differential treatment effects of Open Access as a function of propensity to be treated. The results are robust to a number of sensitivity checks and falsification tests. Our findings shed new light on Open Access effect on journals and can help stakeholders of journals in the decision of adopting the Open Access policy.

Author: Caitlin Christian-Lamb

Caitlin is a PhD candidate and instructor of record at the University of Maryland’s iSchool, where she is affiliated with the Ethics and Values in Design Lab (EViD) and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS).